Studio photograph of Donna Caldwell by Ronald Ester 1942 Reproduced courtesy Joe Caldwell
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Joe Caldwell 1942 Reproduced courtesy Joe Caldwell |
The first US personnel Donna Griggs saw were camped at the Melborne Cricket Ground. One night in 1942 she was returning home from a dance at the Trocadero when she met Joe Caldwell, who was sold on her from the very start. When Donna and Joe decided to get married in 1943 they didn’t want to wait for the normal approvals so they went straight to the minister’s house and were married without official US Army sanction. In May 1945 Donna Caldwell followed her husband to Nashville with her sixteen month old son, Sterling. Donna received a warm welcome in Nashville, where she was hailed as the city’s first Australian war bride. In 1948 the family returned to Australia, where the climate helped relieve Donna’s asthma. |
